GENERAL INFORMATION

NCEA National Champions.......................................... 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010,2014, 2021 NCEA Reserve Champions........................................... 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019 Southern Equestrian Champions.................................. 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Southeastern Conference Equestrian Champions....... 2015, 2017, 2018

GAMEDAY MEDIA SERVICES

Rosters, lineups and timing sheets will be provided before each home competition. Results will be distributed following each home meet.

MEET COVERAGE

As we do not require credentials for home meets, please contact Karra Logan in the sports communications office if you plan to cover a home meet.

INTERVIEWS

Georgia coaches and student-athletes are available for interviews by request following each home meet. Midweek and non-gameday interviews are arranged by request and according to the practice time of each individual rider and are subject to change. Phone interviews can also be arranged. Please contact Karra Logan in the sports communications office by phone at 706.542.1621 or by email at klogan@sports.uga.edu.

GEORGIADOGS.COM

Georgia’s official athletics website is www. georgiadogs.com. The site serves as the front door to the Bulldog experience. The website also serves as a link between the Georgia Athletic Association, members of the media and the Bulldog nation.

In addition to game recaps, georgiadogs.com also provides up-to-date stats, notes, rosters, player and coach bios, and historical data.

LIVE SCORING

The University of Georgia sports communications staff provides live scoring of all home meets on georgiadogs.com. The scores posted are unofficial until the final ride of the day has been completed and all scores have been verified by officials. For away competitions, fans and members of the media are encouraged to follow @UGAequestrian on Twitter, as it provides the most up-to-date information as the meets progress.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEDIA INFO

SEC statistics, schedules and other information are available on the conference’s official website www. SECsports.com. The SEC media relations contact for equestrian is Chuck Dulap (cdunlap@sec.org). Location....................................................Athens, Ga. Founded...............................................................1785 Enrollment........................................................38,920 Colors ......................................................Red & Black Mascot ..........................................................Bulldogs Conference........................ Southeastern Conference President ...................................... Jere W. Morehead Alma Mater.............................. Georgia J.D., 1980 J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics ........Josh Brooks Alma Mater............................................ LSU, 2002

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach.......................................Meghan Boenig Seasons at Georgia .........................................21st Alma Mater................................Berry College, ‘99 Assistant Coach (Jumping Seat) ...Anna Becker Destro Seasons at Georgia ........................................ Fifth Alma Mater................... Auburn, 2013, NYU, 2017 Assistant Coach (Western) ....McKenzie Lantz Breuker Seasons at Georgia ....................................Second Alma Mater......................................Georgia, 2015 Program Specialist.................................... Kim Fraher Office Phone....................................... (706) 542-5817 Office Fax............................................ (706) 310-2244 Graduate Assistant ............................... Taylor Staton Farm Manager.....................................Amber Bradley Barn Manager .................................. Kayla Jaconette Facility Foreman.....................................Wade Tucker Facility Foreman.................................... Chase Bower

Coordinator of Facilities & Event ManagementWill Riggan

HISTORY

First Year of Equestrian.......................................2002 Dual-Meet Regular Season Record ................ 132-36 Dual-Meet Regular Season Record at home...... 67-6 SEC Championships/Last................................ 3/2018 Southern Equestrian Championships/Last...... 6/2009 NCEA National Championships/Last.............. 7/2021 NCEA Reserve Championships/Last............... 7/2019

FACILITY INFORMATION

Home Facility .....................UGA Equestrian Complex Address ............... 1171 Astondale Road, Bishop, Ga.

TEAM INFORMATION

2021-22 Record..................................................... 8-6 2021-22 SEC Record/Finish.............................2-4/3rd 2021-22 Postseason/Record................................. 0-1 Letterwinners Returning/Lost........................... 43/19 Starters Returning/Lost....................................... 16/2 Newcomers.............................................................14

SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT

Equestrian Contact.................................. Karra Logan E-mail ................................... klogan@sports.uga.edu Office Phone....................................... (706) 542-9344 Equestrian Assistant.......................... Savannah Daly E-mail ..................................savannah.daly@uga.edu Website..........................................GeorgiaDogs.com

1GENERAL INFORMATION

Table of Contents Winning Tradition NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist The University of Georgia 2022-23 Schedule 2022-23 Season Outlook

8GEORGIA EQUESTRIAN

2022-23 Roster Meghan Boenig, Head Coach Assistant Coaches Jere Morehead, President of the University of Georgia Josh Brooks, Director of Athletics Athletic Association Administration Equestrian Staff UGA Equestrian Complex

18 MEET THE BULLDOGS

Rider Biographies Meet the Horses

29 HISTORY

2021-22 Season Recap 2021-22 Meet-by-Meet Year-by-Year Results Top All-Time Finishes Honors and Awards All-Time Roster

37 NCEA EQUESTRIAN

About NCEA Equestrian About SEC Equestrian NCEA and SEC Championship History

CREDITS

The 2022-23 Georgia equestrian media guide was written, designed, and edited by Karra Logan using Adobe InDesign CC 2022. Cover designed by Margaret Rogers.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Dan Evans, Leonard Isbell, Phillip Faulkner, John Kelley, Wes Blankenship, Evan Stichler, Lauren Shamon, Madi Berger, David Weikel, Liza Goodlett, Taylor Carman, Andrew Ryback, Steffenie Burns, Kristin Bradshaw, Lauren Tolbert, Tony Walsh, Chamberlain Smith, Mackenzie Miles, UGA Sports Communications, UGA Public Affairs and others

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks to the Georgia equestrian staff and the Georgia Sports Communications staff and student assistants.

Winning Tradition

In June of 2001, Georgia took a bold step forward in the development of its athletics program when Equestrian was added as the 21st varsity intercollegiate sport. In the years since, the Bulldogs’ program has become a national leader, both in the performance and in the movement, toward sponsorship by the NCAA. Georgia is one of the most illustrious teams in the country, having won seven national championships, the most in NCEA history.

2003

ease. 2008

BULLDOGS’ PATH TO ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP

Georgia’s equestrian program has been the epitome of success since its inception in 2001. Since the program started, the Bulldogs have reached unprecedented heights, including seven national titles, nine reserve national titles, six Southern Equestrian Championships, and three Southeastern Conference Championships.

Forty-one Georgia riders have claimed 84 NCEA All-America awards. Four Bulldogs have received five NCEA National Rider of the Year honors in addition to 13 riders being named SEC Rider of the Year 19 times. Twenty-three Bulldogs have tallied 100 All-SEC nods.

2004

Georgia started with trailblazing success, winning national titles in both of the program’s first two years on the varsity level. In 2002-03, the Bulldogs won their first varsity team national crown at the Varsity Equestrian National Championship in College Station, Texas.

The Georgia equestrian team capped its second year of competition in grand style successfully defending its overall title at the sport’s national championship meet. Coach Meghan Boenig’s team trailed SEC rival Auburn by 14 points after the first day of riding. The Bulldogs, however, took control of the meet on the final day winning four of the seven flights and placing second in two others.

Georgia returned to the winner’s circle during the 2007-08 season, winning its third national title in just six years of existence. The season also started a string of threestraight national titles for the Bulldogs. Georgia riders claimed their first national crown since 2004 without finishing first in either riding discipline. Georgia’s Western squad narrowly missed a victory when it dropped a tie-breaker to TCU. Still, Georgia’s strong finish in both disciplines allowed the Bulldogs to claim a team title with surprising Their total of 49 points surpassed runner-up Texas A&M, which totaled 38, allowed Georgia to take home the title.

Georgia’s success continued into the 2008-09 season, as the Bulldogs took home the program’s fourth national title and second in as many years. With a resounding win in the Hunt Seat discipline and a fourth-place finish in Western, Georgia concluded the 2008-09 season by taking home its second straight overall title at the Varsity EQ National Championships in Waco, Texas.

CHAMPIONS 2015 • 2017 • 2018

2010

The 2009-10 Bulldog squad needed two kinds of tie-breakers to settle it, but they prevailed over Texas A&M to capture their third-straight overall crown at the Varsity National Championships in Waco, Texas on April 17. The 2010 championship is Georgia’s fifth in eight years and third in succession at the Heart ‘O Texas Fair Complex. When both Hunt Seat and Western team competitions had played out, both Georgia and Texas A&M had won titles, Georgia the former and A&M the latter. That put them in a first-place tie in the overall standings with 51 points, necessitating the first rideoff in the history of this event. The rideoff consisted of four head-to-head dual matches, one per event. Georgia essentially sealed its victory in the opening event, when Michelle Morris won a 174-144 decision over A&M’s Elizabeth Solch in Equitation on the Flat. The Bulldogs also got a winning ride from Kacy Jenkins in the Fences event while Texas A&M won both Western events. Each team’s raw scores were tallied once Georgia and Texas A&M split the four events. The margin of Morris’ ride, however, provided the necessary cushion for Georgia to outlast the Aggies by the final tally of 603.5 to 579.

During the 2013-14 season, Georgia earned the program’s sixth National Championship. After finishing the regular season with a 9-3 dual-meet record, the Georgia equestrian team earned a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championship.

Georgia won three SEC Titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018, finishing as NCEA Reserve National Champions in each of those seasons.

The Bulldogs were back on top in 2021, winning the program’s seventh National Championship. The team’s accomplishments earned Boenig NCEA Coach of the Year recognition. After finishing a conference-only regular season with a 3-3 dual-meet record, the Bulldogs earned a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championship.

2014

NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist

EMMA MANDARINO

Former University of Georgia equestrian standout Emma Mandarino was selected as a Top 30 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award in 2019. She was one of ten from Division 1, the only finalist from the Southeastern Conference, and the first nominee in the Top 30 to be from the sport of equestrian.

The award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

Mandarino, a native of Bedminster, N.J., graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting in May 2019 and received her Master’s of Accountancy in May 2020, also at Georgia. She was a five-time UGA Presidential Scholar, as well as a three-time National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) First Team Academic All-American. She was the 2019 SEC Boyd McWhorter Scholarship nominee from Georgia and earned the Bernard Ramsey Scholarship for Academic and Athletic Excellence for having a GPA within the top 10 of all UGA student-athletes.

After walking on the team as a freshman, Mandarino grew to be a twoyear captain in her junior and senior seasons. She led the Bulldogs to back-to-back SEC Championships in 2017 and 2018, and the team finished Reserve Champions at the NCEA National Championship threestraight seasons. In 2019, Mandarino contributed to the Bulldogs’ Equitation Over Fences National Title.

As a constant competitor in Georgia’s Equitation Over Fences lineup, she earned six Most Outstanding Performer honors as a Bulldog. She was recognized as NCEA Standout Student-Athlete of the Month (October 2017) and SEC Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Month (October 2017). She is the eighth leading scorer for Equitation Over Fences in Georgia equestrian history.

THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

“Something for everyone.” That’s one way to describe the academic, athletic, and social experience at the University of Georgia. UGA is a leader among public universities nationally with a breadth and diversity of degree programs that rival any institution of higher learning. Various degree programs such as education, business, international affairs, journalism, math and public administration rank among the best in the nation. With its top-notch facilities campus-wide, the University of Georgia is an ideal setting for anyone to pursue a worldclass education.

The University of Georgia is the birthplace of public higher education in the USA. On January 27, 1785-just two years after the Revolutionary War and still four years before George Washington’s inauguration as our first President--the Georgia Legislature adopted the charter that created the University of Georgia, making UGA the oldest chartered state university in the nation. More than 225 years later, Georgia still offers something for everyone.

The University of GeorgiaTHE CITY OF ATHENS

Universally known as one of the nation’s premier college towns, Athens is the perfect marriage of campus and community. Broad Street is all that separates the University of Georgia’s historic North Campus and a vibrant downtown community filled with restaurants and shopping. Athens has carved its own identity with the individualistic pursuits of a music scene that has turned local artists into worldwide superstars.

Athens’ ever-thriving music scene fostered world-wide megabands such as R.E.M. and the B-52s. Historic venues such as the Georgia Theatre and the 40-Watt Club make Athens a must-stop for a wide variety of emerging and established stars from Taylor Swift to Snoop Dogg.

Chapel Bell

Downtown Athens

Season Outlook

The University of Georgia equestrian team will begin the 2022-23 campaign as the fifth-ranked team in the nation.

Georgia returns all but two prominent starters to the lineup for this season. In total, the Bulldogs bring back eight riders who claimed nine NCEA All-America honors and ten All-SEC nods. Junior Jordan Toering and senior Caitlin Lyons were named SEC Rider of the Year for Flat and Reining, respectively, last season. Additionally, Jillian Stopperich was named SEC Freshman Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year while Jax Bound was named the SEC Freshman Reining Rider of the Year.

FENCES

Toering returns to the Fences lineup for her junior year after winning 10 points and three Most Outstanding Performer honors, which earned her NCEA Second-Team All-America nods. Rachel McMullen received NCEA All-America Honorable Mention.

FLAT

Toering also returns to the Flat lineup after being named the SEC Flat Rider of the Year and earning NCEA First-Team All-America recognition. She earned five MOP honors last season and scored a 97.5 in Flat in the regular season finale against UT Martin, which is the fifth highest in program history. Sophia Pilla earned NCEA Second-Team All-America honors and claimed three MOPs last season.

HORSEMANSHIP

The full Horsemanship lineup returns for this season. Sara Lewis is back for a fifth year, adding to her dominance in the event. She has compiled a career record of 34-12-2 with three MOP honors. She broke an SEC Championship record in Horsemanship, scoring a 231 for her ride, which tied with Auburn’s Olivia Tordoff at the conclusion of the championship weekend. The previous high score of 225.5 was set in 2019. Jillian Stopperich was named SEC Freshman Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year last season after winning seven points and two MOP honors.

REINING

Courtney Blumer returns for a fifth season. After claiming the final point to secure the Bulldogs’ 2021 National Championship, Blumer rode to a 7-3-2 record last year with one MOP, earning NCEA All-America Honorable Mention. On top of being named the SEC Reining Rider of the Year, Caitlin Lyons received NCEA Second-Team All-America honors. Jax Bound was named the SEC Freshman Reining Rider of the Year after riding to a 7-3 record and three MOP honors in her Rookie season, and claimed NCEA Second-Team All-America honors. Her score of 219.5 at the SEC Championship was the best Reining score recorded in SEC Championship history. The previous high score was a 215.5, also set in 2019.